
NOTE.—"As Elisha accompanied the prophet un his round of service from
school to school, his faith and resolution
were
once more tested. At Gilgal,
and again at Bethel and Jericho, he was invited by the prophet to turn back.
`Tarry here, I pray thee,' Elijah said; 'for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel.'
But in his early labor of guiding the plow, Elisha had learned not to fail or to
become discouraged; and now that he had set his hand to the plow in another
line of duty, be would not be diverted from his purpose. He would not be
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parted from his master, so long as opportunity remained for gaining a further
fitting up for
service."—Prophets and Kings,
page 225.
9.
What took place when the two prophets stood on the bank of
the Jordan? Verses 7, 8.
NorE.—"As the rod of Moses had been the symbol of his prophetic power.
and by his lifting it up the waters of the Red Sea had been divided, so the
mantle was the symbol of the prophetic power of Elijah, and smitten by it the
Jordan was to yield a dry passage across its bed. The use of the 'mantle' had
undoubtedly a meaning. It had been the most characteristic token of the
prophet's work. As a garment of rough hair,
it reminded both him and all
who witnessed the use to which it was put, of his privations in the wilderness,
of his loneliness, of his toils, of his self-denials, and of his sufferings, in the
execution of his mission. It was associated with the thought of a good fight
fought, of a course finished, of faith kept. Why should it not be a source of
strength to him in a departing hour? It had covered him alike in his struggles
and in his triumphs, in his sorrows and his joys. He rolled it together as his
rod, struck the waters of the river with it, and be and Elisha passed over dry-
shod."—W. Milligan,
Elijah: His Life and Times,
pages 162, 163.
10.
Given opportunity of choice, what request did Elisha make?
How did Elijah reply? Verses 9, 10.
NOTE.—"Elisha asked not for worldly honor, or for a high place among
the great men of earth. That which he craved was a large measure of the
Spirit that God had bestowed so freely upon the one about to be honored with
translation. He knew that nothing but the Spirit which had rested upon Elijah,
could fit him to fill the place in Israel to which God had called him; and so
he asked, 'I pray thee, let a double portion of thy Spirit be upon
me.' "—
Prophets and Kings,
pages 226, 227.
11.
As the two proceeded on their way, what suddenly took
place? What did Elisha say and do? Verses 11, 12.
Elisha's Fidelity Is Rewarded
12.
What evidence did Elisha have that his request had been
granted? How did the sons of the prophets acknowledge him?
Verses 13-15.
NOTE.—"When the Lord in His providence sees fit to remove from His
work those to whom He has given wisdom, He helps and strengthens their six-
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